Daughter of Darkness
by A.M. Lena
Summary: (This will be the first in my series that I am creating for the players of Alexina.) Vuui has worked most of her life to change how people saw her, from being the leader of a group of bandits to becoming the general for the humans she has made a lot of progress. Now, all of that will disappear as Cessair grows stronger and secrets best left hidden reappear.
1. Chapter 1

The Heroes of Alexina

A Mabinogi Fanfiction

By. A.M. Lena

Daughter of Darkness

Note: I OWN NOTHING! DO NOT SUE! Mabinogi the Korean based MMORPG belongs to Nexon and their affiliates, of which sadly I am not among. All characters and places once again belong to Nexon and their team, the only character they do not own is Vuui but I do not own them either. Vuui is a player controlled by one of the people who play on the Alexina server and they have graciously allowed me to write a story about their character. Thank you and please enjoy.

Chapter One

The newly appointed recruits for the Alban Knights were marching down the streets of Dunbarton in a parade like fashion, armor glistening in the harsh sun, fresh-faced and starry-eyed, nothing like the hardened soldiers they would someday become. People from all over were gathered within the village just to catch a glimpse of the new heroes stomping by. If they were not watching the parade they were either buying or selling various goods ranging from food to even swords and talismans within the same lot. Kiosks lined every nook and cranny of the marketplace, even the walls and fields outside before the entrance was crowded with stalls, patrons and milletians eager and ready to make a profit off of the day's events.

Children played along the stalls and mats, mimicking with sticks and toys their favorite milletian in their greatest moments of heroism while their parents looked on with knowing smiles lining their faces, most being milletians themselves or having been one in their youth. Creatures of all sorts pranced around, flying through the air and performing tricks with their masters, aweing the crowds after the new recruits had passed them by in order to keep the excitement alive and thick in the air. All were cheerful on this day of days during the Ceremony of the Divine, were milletians would become one of the few holy enough to vanquish the demons of Cessair's army. Not all milletians could serve the Princess in this way, but for those who could a great honor and prestige was placed before them, bringing the people together to unite in the hope that one day the land would be free again from the darkness that had plagued them over the last decade.

There was not a soul among them who did not revere the Alban Knights, all watching with reverent eyes and joyous hearts as they passed them by, all except for one who refused to honor those who deemed themselves better than others, who refused to revere those who looked down on the milletians of Erinn who for centuries had protected the land from those who would not only look to destroy it but destroy their Gods as well. Vuui sat along the upper stairwells of Dunbarton, looking to hide from the crowds as she openly shunned all the shiny sparkling recruits who hadn't been a milletian for even a week before signing up for the holier-then-thou-brigade and hadn't even seen a battle let alone know their weapon from their elbow. Those who hadn't been killed or horribly disfigured within a week would either go home with their tales between their legs crying like infants to their mothers or become one of the pompous meatheads who bullied their way into authority among the populous. Though she was the General for the human regiment for the Princess she lacked authority in this new section of Eirawen's forces.

Over the last few years, the attacks from the demons have increased nearly twentyfold. When Talvish, who at the time had been her right hand under Andras, had created the Alban Knights even Vuui had to admit that the concept was miraculous and a true gift from the heavens. Now though, as time wore on and the attacks became more severe with each loss, being able to pick and choose those who could harness the power of the Divine has been thrown to the wayside – much to her disproval and arguments to the Princess – so any greenhorn were allowed to take the reins upon having little to zero experience making for a dysfunctional unit and a failing army. Villages were being attacked and in some cases destroyed outright every few months, milletians were no longer allowed to travel alone but in guilds with a penalty of having their license revoked if found unaccompanied by an ally, citizens were more-or-less under house arrest within the villages and cities unless they could get a milletian, soldier or knight to accompany them, even then being forced to put in at least a months advanced notice in order to even leave because of the onslaught of people needing to run errands for their now failing business's, or for those who wished to see their desperate and/or dying family members who happened to live far away.

The times were rough and with the ever growing threat of trouble looming over the horizon seeing the people of Erinn, the very people Vuui had sworn to lay down her life for if ever the occasion were to arise, being happy and cheerful in the face of fear and chaos should have warmed the small corners of her heart. Instead bile buried itself into the back of her throat, bitterness at not being able to stop the attacks herself along with a deep and burning contempt she felt towards the Alban Knights suffocated her lungs, making the air around her crackle with the deep rooted feelings of her animosity at the situation she had been cursed into. Most of all, not even the annoyance of the ignoramuses she had to deal with on a daily basis could trump the pure hatred she held for Cessair. If there was one person she would destroy in her career it would be him, even if she had to die trying.

The roaring of the crowds broke through her thoughts, bringing Vuui back to reality once more and away from her dark ponderings. More recruits were marching out of the training school onto the grounds to their admirers, trying to remain stoic but most failing - this having been their first time in the limelight - and ended up waving and pumping their fists to the crowd in jubilation. Shaking her head in exasperation Vuui shook the black strands of her hair from her face and pushed herself up from her perch, having had enough of the crowds and the recruits to last her a lifetime, brushed herself off then stealthily crept her way out of Dunbarton and into the outlying potato beds not that far off from the walls. All of the vendors who had been selling their wares had lost themselves in the crowds so no one saw the orange-clad figure fleeing down the road on the back of a spectral dragon who was nothing more than shadow and bone.

Vuui wasn't one to follow the guidelines of the Princess. She respected and even held a place in her heart for Eirawen, but in the end, she couldn't allow the little love that she felt towards the girl to surpass her better judgment. Which is why she continued to travel alone despite the laws that even she was made to enforce at times. There were just some things that she herself couldn't comply by, and traveling with others when she was more than capable of taking care of herself was one of those things. Others would only slow her down and hinder her in a fight, keeping her from using full force and power against enemies, and would result in not only a longer battle but possible capture or death. Besides, no one would question her if she was spotted alone, they would assume that she was a part of a smaller regiment that was scouting the area and wouldn't bother to follow up with others or look for soldiers who could possibly be lying low in order to ambush a group of bandits, or even be waiting for rescuing themselves.

Gliding on the back of Nightmare, her familiar, Vuui soared like a whisper above the ground, making her way through Dugald Aisle when something caught her eye in the Logging Camp far below. Stopping Nightmare, Vuui gently eased the beast back down onto the plains, shushing the beast when it began to growl. The energy was crackling all around them, the fragrance of blood-tinted heavily in the air, there was not even a murmur to be heard when Vuui stepped onto the soft ground and surveyed the darkness in front of her. The area was shadowed in a veil of magic, the likes of which she had never seen before. Even with her advanced eyesight she could not make out a single form inside the dome covering the Logging Camp.

 _Send for Andras_ , she kept her gaze locked onto the dome as she gave the order, waiting for the familiar slap of wind to come off of Nightmare's wings before walking forward towards the darkness. Placing a palm against the veil Vuui felt around the magic that began to surround her, trying to pinpoint its source. Not finding any leaks or the manifestation point she carefully removed her hand from the veil then slowly pulled out her staff. The staff she had was powerful, crafted by Tarlach himself back when she had been a young girl and was given to her as a present when she had come of age and decided to become a milletian. Upon joining the army years later, she still carried the artifact around, choosing to use it as her weapon of choice rather than the many others that her higher-ups at the time tried to force onto her, seeing as that – at the time at least – magic had not been seen as a conventional weapon. It took her and other's rising through the ranks using magic and alchemy alone to prove to the masses that you didn't have to use swords and bows to be a soldier. Now more than ever more and more milletians were testing the waters of magic and alchemy thanks to the work of her and the others who had paved the way amongst the masses all those years ago.

Seeing as no one was around her, at least from what she could see even through the darkness, Vuui relaxed and let forth her power, removing the earrings that she used to seal off her true form and hide at least part of her identity. Wings the color of obsidian and cream sprung from her back like springs, her ears turned into points and her eyes changed from their typical icy blue to an ever encompassing black. Energy seemed to rush towards her and for the first time in a while, Vuui felt truly alive. Unlike others who seemed to love to gloat about their demigod status, staying within their true forms continuously and bragging about their godly mother or father, Vuui was not among them. The fewer people knew about her the safer she could keep the land, only resorting to using her true powers whenever there was no other option or she was completely alone, as is the case now. It didn't help that the few people who did see her true form always asked the same thing. Who was her parent? Why are her wings different colors? Why are her eyes black instead of gold?

These questions she could not answer, having never met either of her parents, let alone her godly one, being orphaned and left to be raised in the forest of Sidhe Sneachta by a bear during the day, and a cursed mage at night. Tarlach loved her and raised Vuui as his own, teaching her the arts of magic and craft from an early age, even going as far as to craft her the sealing earrings she wore when she had craved them most upon joining the army. Without them, they would have recognized her and not let her join their ranks upon site alone.

Closing her eyes Vuui allowed herself to feel, to feel the land and air around her, to become one with the energy that coursed through the veins of every rock and blade of grass, that connected the small raccoon to the enormous bear, that led to the heart of the keeper of the Logging Camp himself. Relief flooded through Vuui's system when the thread to Tracy's heart appeared before her, it meant that not all hope was lost and that whatever this veil was it wasn't lethal, at least for the moment. Hearing the returning flap of familiar wings overhead, Vuui took a deep breath and pushed.

Everything stopped, the world around the veil seemed to freeze but was in reality stuck in a slow constant motion, the flapping of Nightmare's wings sounded heavier as they struck against the sheer power that Vuui was unleashing. Opening her eyes once more a whirlwind of colors swirled together, never settling on a single hue, something feral seeming to radiate from her core as step by step Vuui popped through the veil and into the Logging Camp.

Andras was both confused, yet not surprised in the slightest by the change of events. As she sat stoically aboard the spectral beast who, at this point, was as much her familiar as General Vuui's, her mind wandered to the strangeness of the events taking place and what possible connection they had with the event that had occurred hours earlier as well. Residing in Taillteann Andras was not a stranger to the comings and goings of the milletians, and had considered herself one with the people, having fought side-by-side with many of them over her career during the war with the Fomors.

As of late, though, what would have been a sense of ease and comradery with the people of her village, a sense of tension and fear had slithered into its place. With the recent attacks ranging closer and closer to Taillteann's borders and the notices now being tacked upon every available surface, one of which tucked protectively within her breast pocket, she was frightfully beginning to understand why.

Shaking her head in order to pay attention to the task at hand Andras narrowed her eyes at the shadowy dome that veiled the area where the Logging Camp should have been. All she could see was the inky translucent surface of the dome, nothing else seemed to remain at all. Searching for Vuui, her eyes straining to the task, she made a clucking sound in order for Nightmare to lower them down when everything slowed and Vuui's power encompassed everything around them….

Upon entering the veil Vuui knew instantly why it was up in the first place. Standing before her were Tracy should have been was a monstrous being that towered over the tree tops, its bulbous form three times as thick as the thickest of logs, with flesh that oozed in an inky slithering slime that smelled of rotting meat. The creature had no eyes or nose, only a gaping gasping maw stretched tight and snapping at anything that dared to come within an inch of it. Roaring, the beast spotted her and lunged leaving Vuui no choice but to deflect with her sword, blocking the slithering claws within seconds of its strike. Switching to her shield Vuui slashed at the slithering mound of flesh before her, hacking off globs of the viscous slime chunk by nauseating chunk.

With a windmill kick to the creature's tree trunk sized legs Vuui sent the oozing slime ridden thing flying towards one of the logging structures. The thick sticky substance that coated the creature now covered Vuui's legs, the ooze burning the parts of her skin that were exposed to the air. Ignoring the fire that coursed over bits of her skin she took advantage of the monsters fall. Bringing out her staff once more Vuui slammed the end of it into the ground and with a roar summoned bolt after bolt of lightning to rain down upon the wounded beast.

Seizing the lightning strikes and wiping the sweat from her brow, Vuui turned away from the odd creature for only a moment to swipe at the acid like slime eating away at her thighs when a deafening roar flooded the dome, knocking her to her knees and grounding her into the dirt. The creature was upon her, looming over her with its slithering claw wrapped around her torso and crushing against her windpipe. Her vision swam for a moment and right when Vuui swore she was about to die she saw it. Cool brown eyes merged onto the face of the beast, its body contorting and fighting against itself, the grip on her sternum and throat lessening with each second of confusion until finally, with fleeting breath and will alone, Vuui unleashed all her energy as she had done before when freezing the world outside of the dome, but this time transforming completely. A primal dark glow formed around her being, covering her completely, dread could be tasted in the air, and the screams of countless souls rang around them as Vuui pushed with all her might against the creature's hand freeing herself completely before striking at its heart, her bare arm pushing through the creature. The dome fell, silence rang through the Logging Camp like a specter, the world no longer was frozen in slow motion, and in Vuui's arms lay the tired barely alive form of Tracy, the keeper of the Logging Camp.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Vuui clutched onto Tracey like a lifeline, not sure what to make of the strangeness of the situation at hand. Whatever she had fought was somehow connected to the unconscious man in her arms, and something told her she wasn't going to like what she was going to find out when she was finally given answers. The rush from Nightmares wings flapped down beside her, the wind from his wings sending dirt and debris sailing through the air around them as he landed. Andras quickly jumped off him once they landed, rushing to Vuui's side instantly in order to assess the situation.

"What happened?" Andras collapsed to the ground beside the pair, looking back and forth between Vuui and Tracey, checking each of them for injuries.

"I'm not sure," tearing her eyes off of Tracey Vuui turned to Andras, "We were headed home from the festival when I spotted that barrier over the camp- "

"Naturally you had to investigate it of course," Andras remarked condescendingly.

Rolling her eyes Vuui continued, "Naturally. I sent Nightmare after you as soon as we landed, the area practically reeked of magic," Tracey twitched in his unconsciousness seeming to wake but quieted once more when Vuui touched his forehead with the tips of her fingers, "that should help him rest a bit. He will need all the energy he can get when we take him in for questioning."

"Speaking of that, what exactly happened when I got here? You froze everything and released your true form. That's not something you do on a daily basis, let alone a yearly one." Andras stood and began to survey the area, seeming to look for clues as to what could have happened.

"I had no choice," at this Andras stopped her looking to stare at Vuui in slight shock, "the barrier was too strong for me in my suppressed form, so I took off my limiters. Thankfully no one was around to see it at least, that's the last thing I would need given, well – you know." There was a respective silence between the two women for a moment, each baring a knowing look of remembrance to days long past. "When I transformed though I was able to get through easily… freezing the world was just a safety precaution in case of anyone coming across the area who wasn't you or myself. I gave a little slack though so that you and Nightmare wouldn't be frozen, you know how much he hates that." Vuui rubbed under Nightmares chin at that, eliciting a string of contented purrs from the beast.

"I was attacked almost instantly when I broke through, the creature was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was massive, with oily acidic skin that burned at the touch. It didn't have a face at all, just a giant mouth," Andras gasped loudly, "I barely managed to fend off the beast and take it down completely. The problem is, that it wasn't a beast at all," she looked down at the still slumbering man on her lap, "It was Tracey. As soon as I had destroyed it he had appeared, almost out of thin air. This wasn't a possession; it would have spit him out if it had and left slime and gunk everywhere. No, this was him."

Silence weighed around the small group in the Logging Camp, the only sound coming from the flock of birds overhead and the foxes and bears from the forest around them. Not being able to stand the eerie quietness around them any longer Vuui gently placed Tracey to the ground and stood up, stretching and wincing from the burns along her thighs. At her wince Andras quickly noticed the burns and rushed to her side, pulling out some of the enchanted bandages from her pocket and placing it upon the wound and closing it almost instantly, the skin as unmarred as it had been before.

"You know we will have to contact Talvish about this," Andras crumpled the used bandage in her palms, "it sounds like the other cases that have been cropping up as of late."

"I know," Vuui knew quite well what the case looked like, even if she had not encountered the attacks in person herself before. It was the same as all the cases with the demons over the last few months. Citizens suddenly turning into monstrous creatures that held magic beyond normal measures who seemed to exude darkness and destroy everything in their wake. When the Alban Knights eventually arrived to the scene the 'demon' would be disposed of and then the person would be taken into custody, most of the time the individual in question being in league with Cessair and his group of rebels. Looking down at Tracey's sleeping face though, Vuui couldn't feel that something was off this time. Everyone in Ulahd knew the keeper of the Logging Camp, he was friendly, helpful and loyal. Him being in league with Cessair seemed unlikely at best, but in these times anyone could be an enemy at this point. Vuui only hoped that a real investigation would be held and that he wouldn't be sent immediately to an early execution like the others had.

"By the way," Andras spoke, breaking Vuui from her thoughts, "you're going to want to see this." Pulling out the flyer that she had taken earlier that day from her inside pocket Andras handed over the wrinkled folded paper to Vuui's outstretched hand:

Everything's a Lie!

Do not listen to the falsehood's of

The Kingdoms 'Watchdogs'

They are against us!

They will destroy us!

The demons are the work

Of the so-called 'Soldiers'

And 'Knights' who defend us!

Cessair is here to save us!

Rally milletians! Rally and Fight!

Fight against the tyranny of the Gods

And their patriarchy! Rise against

Those who are here to kill us all!

As Vuui scanned over the flyer and read the incredulous lies printed upon it; she couldn't believe her eye's and the audacity of what she saw at the bottom of the page. Right below the text of the flyer were not only her picture with her rank and title listed below it but Andras's, Talvish and any other ranking official that worked for the kingdom listed neatly in multiple rows leading all the way onto the back.

"What is this?" Angrily shoving the flyer back to Andras, Vuui ran shaky fingers through her hair.

"I'm not exactly sure. They were posted everywhere this morning."

"We need to get rid of these immediately, I need you to rally as many soldiers as you can and get them to sweep the entire kingdom for these and destroy them before any damage is done." Thoughts of what might and might not happen raced through Vuui's mind, everything seeming to lead to recipes of disaster. "Take Nightmare with you and go, I'll meet you in Tara with Talvish and Eirawen and we will discuss the matter then in more detail along with what I encountered today. We need to make sure Tracey remains in our custody no matter what, so be prepared." With that Andras saluted and took off, jumping back on Nightmare and bursting forward into the sky and heading to Taillteann to rally the troops and spread the word of what they needed to do.

Not waiting to see them off Vuui quickly summoned Fury, the second of her familiars – this one being made entirely of flame – grabbed Tracey and threw both him and herself along Fury's back and taking off into the sky, soaring like a fireball towards Tara….

Nightmare soared effortlessly through the wind as he and Andras made their way towards Taillteann, racing to the military camp in record time. Coming closer to the walled village the duo slowed down, steadily making their way beyond the gates and above the square when Nightmare abruptly stopped. "What's wrong," Andras soothed the beast beneath her, scratching under its chin even as the dragon growled threateningly at something down below. Sensing the danger, she quickly looked down and cursed.

"Be ready," drawing her sword Andras ushered the familiar to the ground and jumped off, the steel of her sword gleaming violently against the afternoon sun, the appearance of her and the roaring bone dragon behind her stopping the riot surrounding them in its track.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Not knowing the trouble that Andras and her familiar were in Vuui made way to Tara, quickly flying through the air even with the extra weight of Tracey added with them. She didn't even hesitate to land in the garden of the castle, simply going above the parapets and towers and bypassing everything and anything in her way so that she could get to Eirawen quickly. If Tracey was going to stay alive she needed to talk to the Princess first before sending for Talvish. "Go to Pencast and deliver him this," pulling out a spare paper and quill Vuui quickly scribbled down a message for sanctuary to the priest and placed it in Fury's beak, "be quick and stay with him until I return. If anyone tries to take him you grab him first and head to Price, he will know what to do from there." With that she swatted the phoenix on its rear and the beast took off, a trail of fire chasing after it as it flew away. Taking a deep breath Vuui composed herself, visibly straightening with her shoulders pulled back, the complete picture of poise and control, then strolled forward into the castle and headed for the throne room.

Carefully opening and closing the doors of the throne room Vuui cleared her throat in order to make sure that her presence was noticed then approached Eirawen who was talking with one of the guards. "Your majesty we need to talk," drawing the Princess's attention to herself Vuui continued in a quieter tone, "in private."

With a nod Eirawen flicked her wrist, sending the guards away, then relaxed on the throne, "What is the matter General?" Standing a bit straighter Vuui quickly explained the situation, starting with the flyers that Andras had found and ending with her encounter with the demon version of Tracey in the Logging Camp. After finishing Eirawen checked her nails for a moment, inspecting them one by one, then gave Vuui a pointed look. "And you are bringing this up with me instead of Talvish why General?" Her tone may have been sickly sweet but Vuui could still feel the heat behind her words. She was stepping into dangerous territory at this point but she had to push forward regardless.

"Tracey is a good man, he would not side with the likes of Cessair no matter what. As of late with the influx of attacks from the demons the people who were 'supposedly' working for the enemy never received a fare trail nor were they tested for any magical experimentation," pausing for a moment Vuui took a deep breath, "I would like to keep him in my custody given the circumstances, especially considering I have spoken of my concerns of Talvish's organization in the past and have been ignored thus far. They are naive to the point of harming us all and have made no head way except for their ability to defeat the Girgashiy, which is exceptional in that regards, but have not been able to locate nor stop Cessair's ever growing efforts." She then handed the flyer to the Princess, watching the expressions cross over her face as she read over the crumpled paper. "This is only the beginning, it will only get worst from here on out and by then it may be too late."

Handing back the flyer to Vuui the Princess paused, considering the situation at hand before speaking, "And what, pray tell, Vuui do you intend to do to rectify this situation. You do not simply think that I will believe for a second that you would just be keeping the keeper of the Logging Camp in your custody for no reason do you?"

Seeing the opening for her plan Vuui didn't hesitate to take advantage of the situation, "No my liege I do not. I believe that by figuring out what was done to Tracey that I will be able to track down Cessair and his forces and end this once and for all. This war has lasted long enough."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

A small smile graced Eirawen's lips, the audacity her general had towards her was amusing yet also entertaining and inspiring. Out of all the people in her ranks, the former bandit leader was her favorite, Vuui proving time and time again her tenacity as a milletian and general, this time being no different than any other time she had dared to stare her, the ruler of the kingdom, down and bark orders disguised as requests. "Very well, you can keep the keeper of the Logging Camp your prisoner. Talvish will not be pleased, the situation closely revolving around his territory within the military after all, but orders are orders and if he gives you trouble feel free to send him to me," Vuui cheered internally at the small victory awarded to her, "oh and as for your request," Eirawen began to check her nails casually, already bored with the conversation at hand, "I will consider it. What you ask is no easy feat, given your station among my ranks," Vuui's heart fell, her eyes dropping towards the ground at the princess's feet, "but…. If a certain mage were to reappear," eyes snapping forward once more Vuui locked gazes with a smirking Eirawen who was now leaning forward in her throne, arms rested against her knees and hands resting beneath her chin, "I could arrange for said mage to remain off of wanted posters no matter the crime as long as they follow my orders and agree to my demands. This also calls for you to take a temporary leave of absence of course, but given the circumstances I do not see where you can refuse."

"Are you asking me to do what I think you are asking me?" Vuui croaked.

"I'm not asking Vuui," sitting straighter upon her throne Eirawen crossed her leg over her knee and placed her enclosed hands on her lap, "you asked for permission to deliver the end of this tiresome war. You dealt your hand and now I am dealing you mine; this is an offer that you cannot refuse."

Fidgeting slightly Vuui hesitated before speaking, "I am not that person any longer. I have grown, I have changed, I have worked tirelessly to erase that being from existence. What you ask comes at a price 'milady. A price that could cause more harm than good."

"Then what pray tell General do you have in mind to do instead?"

"Rally a small band of troops, find spies to go into Cessair's encampments and drive out the former Fomor alliance trapped within and- "

"That wouldn't work and you know it," Eirawen snapped, her voice an even calm as she spoke, "the troops are timid, the Alban Knights a joke, the citizens and milletians are turning against us even as we speak, siding with an enemy they have never seen with their own two eyes in order to rationalize the dangers around them, and rebelling against the leaders who are supposed to protect them and failed countless times. If the kingdom had been as it once was, when Lugh or even Nuadha ruled then your plan would work," running a hand down her haunted face she continued, "as things are, however, we have no choice. We need someone who is not the face of the government, who isn't siding with Cessair and who had once been a known martyr of the people. Who, under the guise of a criminal, did more good than bad in the grand scheme of things; who, even as the leader of one of the deadliest bandit brigades known to the land, had stuck up for the people in the absence of a leader before I was allowed to take the throne."

Seeing her reasoning Vuui slumped forward, her shoulders sagging and head bowed as she contemplated what she had to do, knowing that in the end, no matter what else happened, that this was the only way of ending this war once and for all. Looking into Eirawen's eyes once more she gave her reply, "I will do as you say; I will honor my vow to you that I had made all those years ago when I had pledged my allegiance to you on these very steps to your throne and take up my cloak once more. All I ask of you is that I may assemble a group before donning the face of the mage you wish to use."

Nodding in satisfaction the Princess relaxed, "Of course, you may pick anyone that you would like and I will pardon them from their duties in order to serve on this mission. Thank you for being compliant and understanding on this Vuui, the fate of the kingdom lies on this and this is not the first time I have given this plan thought," rising from her perch on her throne Eirawen strode confidently forward towards Vuui and placed a reassuring hand upon her shoulder, "now that we have talked shop, let's get down to business shall we…."

"What is the meaning of this?!" Andras roared against the wave of the crowd. A hundred different voices with a hundred different answers echoed after her, each one merging together and becoming indistinguishable. The rioters continued to scream and trash things around her, the presence of the spectral boney beast behind her only keeping them at bay for a moment before the resurgence of their efforts seemed to multiply at recognizing who had landed before them. The headquarters were surrounded on all sides and Andras could only make out a few familiar faces amongst the throbbing violent crowd. Pointing to a soldier who was apprehending a citizen who repeatedly kicked them in the shin and ushering them to her with a quirk of her finger she grabbed the citizen - who screamed obscenities at her about being a 'soldier swine' and 'the true enemy' - before pushing the soldier into the headquarters, making sure Nightmare stayed close behind and made it inside as well, and bolted the door only to be greeted with the sniveling and terrified faces of what was supposed to be her troops. "Explanations NOW! And I want them quick!" When no one immediately responded she slammed her fist against the wall, causing it to shake and rattle from the impact and repeated her question. Still, no one answered.

"That's it," grabbing the soldier that she had dragged inside by his collar of her armor and lifting him up into the air she growled, "answer the question now Private or I am throwing you back to the wolves," the Private in question nodded hurriedly in freight but that wasn't good enough, "answer me Private!"

"Yes, Ma'am! I will answer your question, Ma'am!" Placing the Private back onto his feet Andras crossed her arms and waited for him to continue, making sure to look him straight in the eyes as he fidgeted and gulped before her.

"I'm waiting Private." Andras calmly retorted, Nightmare growling from behind her to add on to the effect of her words.

Gulping the Private got into attention then began to stammer, "i-i-i-it's from t-t-t-the fliers from t-t-t-this morning, Ma'am! The p-p-p-people- "

"Get on with it Private!"

"The people started t-t-t-talking, they started questioning us. T-t-t-they were ganging up on us i-i-i-in huge numbers, twisting our words and saying crazy things, l-l-l-like how we are the true enemy. That we are bringing the demons upon them, that the g-g-g-gods have betrayed us because of the rule of Princess Eirawen and her Swine! Th-that Cessair is their real protector. They started rioting and revolting, aiming for our blood!" Panic laced his voice as he began to ramble in freight, "What are we going to do! Captain what are we going to do! They've killed so many of us Captain! Captain! Captain! Cap- "

Not letting him continue Andras slammed her hand against his mouth to quiet his tirade then whispered a quick spell in order to make the Private fall asleep, gently laying the man on the ground of the Headquarters and slipping off her cloak in order to wrap it around him. She may be hard to her troops but she still cared about their well-being. What the Private told her was troubling, she had feared something like this may happen, having held off of speaking upon the matter with General Vuui thinking that the people wouldn't react this way just yet, that they would be too busy celebrating the new recruits of the Alban Knights like everyone else in the country was today to not even notice the fliers fully. She had been wrong, and now paranoia and panic ran rampant throughout the streets of Taillteann like a disease. Infecting everyone it touches and causing hysteria in its wake.

Seeing no other choice Andras pinched the bridge of her nose and eyes and growled in frustration. She should have gotten rid of those fliers as soon as she had seen them, if she had, this wouldn't have been happening right now and they wouldn't be stuck in this situation. Pulling out a spare piece of paper from her pouch at her belt along with a stick of coal she quickly scribbled down a message for Vuui and the Princess, knowing that they would be discussing matters together at the moment, and tied it around Nightmare's neck with the ribbon from around her head. "Go, bring help, we are going to need it." With that she patted the beast's head and watched as the familiar turned into smoke before her and *POOFED* out of the building, leaving her and her weakened frightened troops behind to wait out the storm….


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Now that we have talked shop, let's get down to business shall we…"

"Yes, let's-" Just as Vuui was about to continue a deafening roar erupted throughout the Throne Room, shaking the stained glass windows from their sills and shattering a few in its wake. Recognizing the call for what it was she stiffened, face falling into the familiar mask of a warrior and pushing the Princess behind her to act as a living shield. "Stay behind me!" Guards began to fill in like bees on the defense, weapons drawn and at the ready, looking for the source of the attack. Another piercing roar echoed around them, this one louder than the one from before, only for this time to be followed by the familiar form of Nightmare crashing into the Throne Room like he owned the place, blazing eyes furious and alive with power as his mighty wings propelled himself forward towards his master, landing gracefully with a poise that didn't seemed to match the ferocious beast.

Eirawen screamed, the guards prepared to strike, no one save Vuui recognizing the beast that had crashed landed in their midst. "Stand down!" Unleashing a quick spell Vuui knocked the weapons from each of the guard's hands before striding forward to her familiar and caressing his maul. "This is Nightmare, my familiar, something is wrong," continuing to gently caress the bony beasts jaw she melded her mind with the dragon before her. _What happened Nightmare? Is Andras alright? Where you attacked?_

 _ **Andras and the human battalion stationed at Taillteann are trapped within their headquarters.**_ Alarm overtook Vuui's features. **_The citizens are revolting on all sides. The elves and Giants appear to be faring better when I had flown above them but it lies uncertain. Andras sent me to find you and bring help._** _Understood love, you did well. I need you to go find Fury now and wait with her, help guard Tracey and make sure no one gets to him, Eirawen gave me her word we could help him but I do not trust that fully. It's best to stay on our toes._ _ **Do you plan to go to Andras's aid Master?**_ _I do._ _ **Then would you rather I take you there, the trip would be faster and time is of the essence.**_ _No…. You have worked hard, I cannot ask any more of you than what I have done already today, go and rest and watch Tracey with Fury. It will be an easy job. Besides, I'm going to be taking a more… unconventional way to Taill._

Separating from the others minds the duo nodded to each other, staring into each other's eyes for a moment, before Nightmare expanded his wings and gave a mighty push into the air, speeding back into the sky with the setting of the sun. Turning towards the baffled crowd behind her Vuui radiated power, the Guards before her inwardly terrified by her new demeanor and look that shrouded her normally calm face.

"My mission starts now Eirawen," her voice was a frightening calm as she spoke, "Taillteann is under attack by its civilians and the militant there are outnumbered, weakened and trapped. Contact the Elves and Giants, tell them to send in rescue units and squads to detain rebel rousers. Also, send for the coordinates of the last location that the 'Hunters' had been cited, I'll be needing those after this. Talvish will need to come as well, and to bring only his second and third in command no one else. I will be needing to speak with him also once this is over. As for this," with a wave of her hand the shattered glass flew back into their original panes and reformed once more, "Sorry about that, but there was no time to delay and Nightmare had to deliver me the message as soon as possible." She then turned to the leader of the Guards, "send out forces to every city within Ulahd, leave no stone unturned and destroy all of these that you come by," she handed him the flier that Andras had given her, "place troops all along the border of the castle and entryways, from windows to doors there needs to be a patrolman do you understand! No one is to harm the Princess while I am not here." Finishing her list of orders Vuui removed her limiters once more and left in a shield of smoke so that no one would see her true form and flew forward into the darkened sky like a deadly angel about to strike.

"General, we can't hold out for much longer!" One of the Privates yelled over the chants and screams of the rioters outside their door, body pressed against its frame alongside his comrades as they struggled to keep it closed from the mob that wanted nothing more than vigilante justice. The situation was escalating beyond control. Within moments the door would be shattered by the crowd and panicked grief-stricken emotional justice wanting civilians would flood in and tear them to pieces, or at least attempt to, they were soldiers after all and were stronger than the average run-of-the-mill milletian but they were still outnumbered significantly enough that the odds of them surviving without a successful retreat were almost slim-to-none. Their only hope was Vuui coming in with reinforcements and freezing everyone so that the rioters could easily – and safely – detained in a reasonable matter so that the issues could be resolved. It had only been ten minutes that Andras had sent Nightmare with the message for Vuui and though she knew that getting here would take time and that the General would never abandon them – Vuui having proven that countless times – time was of the essence and this time, lady luck seemed to not be on their side.

If they were going to survive this, they may very well have to do this without the help of their fearless and powerful leader to save them when the goings got tough. They would have to do this on their own and Andras was starting to realize that. Whether Vuui arrived in time or not, that door wouldn't be able to hold much longer and they needed a plan of action, and as the highest official within the vicinity that left Andras in charge, which meant that whatever happened here before Vuui finally did show up would be all on her.

"Privates!" Taking charge Andras began her orders. "On the count of three, each of you is to go into Trans and bust through the ceiling as fast as possible! Once through you stay in the air and keep going up until you are clear from the vicinity of projectiles! You do not stop, that's an order! Reinforcements should be on their way and us being trapped her only causes more work for the troops so it is up to us to get out of the situation! This will hurt but what that crowd will do to you I can promise will be much worst! Does everyone understand?!" Everyone nodded and gave the OK. Pausing for a moment Andras began to slowly breathe in and out, in and out, calming herself and separating herself from the situation at hand. Focusing back on her troops she began to count, "One… Two… Three!"

Instantly everyone within the Headquarters transformed into their Trans forms, glowing white armor closing itself over their previously armor-clad skin, their heights expanding, wings sprouting from their backs and power radiating off of them in waves. As soon as they had transformed and pushed from the door it flew open, citizen after citizen flooding in and whooping with victory, then shrieking as the soldiers simultaneously pushed off the ground with all their strength and broke through the ceiling above them and into the open air. They flew and the flew, dodging stray arrows and bullets – occasionally being scratched and lightly wounded – until they soared high enough towards the heaven that they wouldn't get struck. Gazing around the area Andras inspected the condition of Taillteann as the rioting continued, the frenzy of the people magnifying in proportions shockingly with each passing second. The whole village was in chaos. Fire lapped at various locations throughout the village, cheers and roars of the people were all that could be heard and drowned out any other sound within the vicinity completely. The Giants seemed to be having little to no trouble after defending their property, most of the citizens even in their crazed state understanding their weakness compared to the massive soldiers defending their headquarters. The Elves were faring pretty much the same as the Giants, their quick reflexes and advanced minds overpowering the humans far easier than Andras's troops could have ever hoped to have accomplished in the chaos.

"We need to land we won't be ab- " The sky turned black, lights flashed against the sky, sickening chills ran up the spines of every person in Taillteann, the riots stopping completely. Everyone held still as before them, looming over the walls of the village were the forms of multiple Girgashiy appeared before them. Demons riding their flanks and dropping like flies all around them…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Girgashiy loomed along all sides of Taillteann, wicked smiles stretching across their monstrous faces. Lightning crackled in the sky and the world turned dark at their presence. All was silent, paused in the face of evil when with a deafening roar that pierced the heavens, the Girgashiy as one screeched and pumped their mighty fists as a horde of demons flew from behind them and over the village walls. The rioters screamed in unison and scrambled away, those of the crowd who were milletians drawing their weapons and ushering those who were defenseless to cover. Within moments blood on all sides stained the ground, both black and red. The Giants and Elves quickly joined the fray, their added support doing nothing to hinder the efforts of the multiplying enemy. Andras and the other soldiers wasted no time in joining in the battle as well, not caring that only mere moments ago the very people they are fighting for now are the same that had tried to harm them. When they had enlisted into the military, each and every one of them had made an oath to serve and protect everyone within the Kingdom of Aliech and the world of Erinn no matter what, even if they had to lay down their own lives for the cause, it was their duty as soldiers.

As the battle raged on the Girgashiy continued to stand along the walls like fearsome sentinels standing guard, watching and waiting as if they had something planned when everyone least expected it. Andras didn't have time to contemplate what they may be planning though, she was too busy fending off wave after wave of demons who continuously tried to get past her and to the people behind her that she was protecting. The demons were enormous in size with bulbous black oily flesh and a gaping open mouth. They seemed familiar in a way but she knew for a fact that she had never seen one before, she wasn't part of Talvish's division after all. The answer nagged at her in the back of her mind, she knew what they were but couldn't place them for the life of her when suddenly as she looked around her at the bodies that lay at her feet and the one who now lay impaled on her sword…. She knew.

"Don't kill them!" Screaming at the top of her lungs Andras tried to pass the message along as well as she could but in vain. No one could hear her over the constant rolling current of noise that bounced off the crowd. "Their human! Don't kill THEM!" Slinging the body off of her sword she blocked two who had attacked her from behind, slicing at their limbs rather than vital organs in order to defeat them quickly and keep them alive at the same time. It seems that Tracey wasn't the only one to be affected by the demons. This had to be Cessair's doing, she could feel it in her blood and would bet her life upon it that that deviant was behind this.

Managing to knock the demons in front of her out, the duo went *POOF* and transformed into two sprawling forms unconscious on the ground at her feet. Turning to the people behind her she grimaced at their terrified expressions then turned back to the battle before her. Seeing no point in screaming again she excepted what she would have to do in order to protect as many people as she could.

"You," she pointed towards a man in his middle age who was balding at the top of his head and sported a long bushy red beard, "gather up these two bodies and rush towards the Giants Headquarters, I will pave a way and you and the others are to grab as many bodies of the living that you can and hide in there until I or the General come for you." The man nodded hurriedly, not daring to contradict her and deny her order, "Good," she threw him and the other seven people besides him corked bottles that she had been storing in her pouch for a rainy day and today was becoming the rainiest, "those will make you invisible for a time. They will buy us enough time to do what we need to do." Picking up the bodies of the two men that she had knocked out Andras threw them across the shoulders of the bearded man she had addressed and the one to his right who sported a mop of blonde hair that fell to his shoulders and fuzz all along his cheeks. "What are you waiting for, drink up and go!"

With that they were off and Andras quickly paved a way for them, grabbing people and looping them over the shoulders two at a time of the people she was not only escorting but protecting as well until they made it to the Giants Headquarters where she dispatched of at least ten more using one of her more powerful skills and going at lightning speed and appearing as nothing more than a blur or light as she fought. By the time that the people and the "demons" who were now nothing more than regular citizens again there were thirty-one people hiding within the bomb-shelter-like basement of the headquarters safe from harm. Not wasting time with goodbyes Andras soared across the ground in a blur and began her search for another group of citizens in order to do the same thing she had done before, recruiting milletians and her soldiers to do the same as she passed them by and relaying the message of what the demons actually were. Just as she was about to escort another group to the Giants headquarters the Girgashiy bellowed once more, the battle stopping like it had when they first appeared and as one each of the monstrous beings raised their arms to the sky, power unfurling through the air and whipping in a frenzy of energy similar to that of a tornado, blowing everything around in disarray and sending people and demons alike flat against the ground unable to move. Lightning sparked between each of the Girgashiy's fingertips crossing together towards the center of the whole of Taillteann high in the sky above them all, a ball of obsidian energy forming into a supernova meant to wipe them all into dust.

Using the last of the strength that she could Andras summoned multiple of her familiars and sent them to the citizens trapped in the Giant Headquarters to warp them to safety along with those all along the village who were now flattened to the earth awaiting their death. Before her eyes one by one people were being *POOFED* away from what would be their demise, the supernova growing larger and larger by the second as the Imps tried their best to get as many people as possibly to safety upon their master's request. The Imps were not enough, the giant mass in the sky was finished and the sky switched from darkness to a blood red. The Girgashiy roared once more but this time in triumph as they screeched with delight over the blood they were about to bathe in, the screams of all those who could not be whisked away in time echoing all the way towards the farmlands as the great ball of obsidian power rushed towards them with blinding speed.

This was the end. Andras could feel it in her bones and braced herself for the impact that was sure to befall her, eyes squished shut and muscles locked awaiting the inevitable pain that… never came. A whooshing sound filled the air, sounding similar to that of a missile, and in a flash of blinding light was what looked to be an angel sent from the heavens to rescue them. Wings of raven and cream unfurled, armor blazing and raven locks floating with the current of energy around her, the angel-like being pushed against the supernova effortlessly and sent it shattering around them in a rain of glittery dust. Pushing off the ground Andras squinted her eyes against the brightness of the being before her and couldn't believe her eyes. Heart pounding in both fear and jubilation she knew that her message had been answered as, like a beacon of hope from the Gods, Vuui stood above them all in her true form in fury against the surrounding Girgashiy, the mask of war planted upon her face.

The impact from being planted to the ground as they had had made all the demons around them transform back to being human, and as Andras looked around most of the people were still being escorted to safety by her familiars so soon it would only be her, her soldiers and Vuui facing these things as it should be. They wouldn't have to focus on protecting anyone then and could focus all their efforts on defeating these monsters instead.

Vuui wasn't waiting, she was no longer playing the part of General and was now the 'Blood Mage' as she had been in her youth. Eyes locked against the opponents before her she quickly began to use every tool in her arsenal against them, including something that she thought she would never use, something that she was forced to learn from Talvish in the case of a situation just as the one she was facing now. She was only grateful that reinforcements would be on their way soon so that she wouldn't be the only one fighting these things. It wasn't that she couldn't handle them, with more time and not as many casualties looming around she knew she could no problem, but with the number of innocents still milling around she wasn't allowed to go all out like she could if she was alone. The village and the people would be destroyed if she did.

Going in for the kill Vuui summoned a massive ethereal blade that floated in the sky above her head and sent it crashing against one of the numerous Girgashiy, destroying the demon instantly then going for the next and the next and the next, keeping them on their toes as all of them began to lunge at her and aim attacks at her direction all at once. When she hadn't been looking one from behind her had begun to summon another one of the supernovas, the others distracting her from what was going on entirely. The sky grew red once again around them, the wind howled and the panicked screams from the soldiers and milletians who had remained behind could be heard from below. Turning towards the people below she could see them gesturing wildly towards something behind her and just as she turned to look the sky turned back to normal and the supernova splattered into dust like the one she had destroyed before. There, standing like a beacon of hope, stood Talvish. Hovering in the sky upon a Pegasus laden in armor that shone in golden hues Talvish was poised for battle, his first and second in command Altom and Avelin right behind them as, in unison, they dispatched of the remaining Girgashiy that Vuui had been unable to fight on her own.

Without any questions, the four of them floated back down into the village to an awaiting twitchy Andras who, with arms crossed against her chest, tapped her foot impatiently and was gesturing to them wildly to hurry up. "You," she pointed at Vuui, "go into the headquarters and hide this instant until you can put your limiters back on, most people won't remember but there are still a few who will despite the fact that it's been years since you wore that face in public." Andras expected her to immediately comply like she had done so many times in the past but this time, Vuui stood there, unmoving as she surveyed the damage around her. Snapping in her face to get her attention this time Andras tried again, "Hey, I'm serious, we are under enough heat as it is with the public already," getting close enough to whisper in Vuui's ear Andras lowered her voice enough that Talvish and his subordinates wouldn't hear, "the last thing that we need is for the citizens to see the infamous Blood Mage hanging around."

Stepping back from Andras and taking a deep breath Vuui stood tall, not liking what she was going to have to do. "There's something that we have to talk about, and you're not going to like it."

"Well, what is it, be quick," Andras started to push Vuui towards the Headquarters but the demigod wouldn't budge.

"I won't be going in there Andras," Vuui pulled away from her friend.

Andras was about to clear her throat when Talvish, who had been standing beside Vuui the whole time, cleared his throat. The two women, who hadn't paid attention to him before, turned their heads towards him a look of confusion lining their faces as if they had forgotten he had been there the whole time. "Um… excuse me, but. Andras, who is this?"

For a moment Vuui and Andras both blanched at the question when it dawned on them that in all the years they had known each other, even prior to Talvish leaving them and forming the Alban Knights, that he had never seen Vuui in her true form before. Seeing people starting to gather around them and murmuring about the strange person who had saved them Vuui grabbed Talvish and Andras and dragged them into the Headquarters, Altom and Avelin on their heels, and used her magic to repair the door and roof, locking the building down completely in order for them to have some privacy.

"Now that we are alone-"

"If you had listened to me we would have been in her already."

Vuui sent a glare towards Andras then turned towards Talvish and slowly put on her limiters. His eyes widened in shock and after making sure he had gotten a good look she took them off once more than tossed them to Andras who caught them out of reflex.

"H-How is this possible? I've known you for years, yet I never knew. Why don't you stay in your true form and stop using this barbaric practice? People don't care if others are demi-gods anymore. You knew, didn't you?" It was more an accusation than a question when he turned his fury towards Andras. "You knew this whole time, all these years and not one of you decided to tell me."

"It's not her fault," Vuui drew his attention back to herself, "The situation was dire and I had no choice to use my powers. Afterward, I performed a spell that kept Andras from telling anyone of what she saw that day. I keep my identity extremely secret and couldn't afford rumors back then, hell, not even now can I afford to have them but at the moment I no longer have a choice in the matter." She explained the situation to everyone in the room, leaving nothing unsaid about what had been decided between her and Eirawen.

"What about your post?" Andras, ever so practical, said shallowly, clearly not liking the situation at hand.

"It will be you of course."

"Then why did you send for us?" Avelin piped in not wanting to be quiet in the shadows any longer.

"Andras is going to need help with the soldiers, most of them are pretty useless due to the lack of authority at the moment and they the kingdom is getting more dangerous. As my final order as General, all of the troops within the human regiment are going to be trained in the arts of the divine. As we saw today the demons are gathering in strength and numbers, the Alban Knights can no longer be the only ones with the ability to kill these abominations. This knowledge will also be passed down to the independent milletians who wish to help with the cause as well. Which means the two groups are going to have to put differences aside and work together if we are going to save Erinn and defeat Cessair once and for all. We are also going to cure those who have been transformed against their will into demons instead of killing them. Today was a good example of what is happening to our civilians and as servants to the crown it is our duty to protect those citizens. I have one in custody at the moment, and as soon as he recovers I will be having him come with me on my travels once I get the go ahead."

"Why are you going to bring Tracey with you?" Andras asked.

"Wait! Tracey became one of them!" Altom yelled in shock.

"How did we miss all of this?" Talvish questioned.

"Because he is not only well traveled and a good fighter, but he was experimented on. Which means he more-then-likely knows where Cessair's base is or at least where he holds his experiments. Thus bringing us one step closer to ending this war once and for all. We need his information."

Just then a hawk *POOFED* in front of them all and handed Vuui a scroll before going *POOF* once more and disappearing in a flash of smoke. Opening the scroll, she quickly read it then stuffed the contents in her inner pocket of her armor. "That was the information I had asked for on the ware bouts for the Hunters. I will be going after them within the week."

"They are nothing but trouble, why would you ever go to them?" Talvish asked in confusion.

Andras stared at him for a moment before asking, "You really don't recognize her do you?"

"She's the Blood Mage Talvish, the Hunters were her old crew of bandits," Avelin answered from behind him. "It's strange to think that the most fearsome and bloodthirsty of bandits became the more feared and bloodthirsty General in our history. Though it does make sense in a twisted sort of way."

"That's why you use limiters then?"

"Yes, though, as you had said before, they are barbaric. Having been used as permanent punishments from the past, I had no choice when I changed sides. The military would have never taken me, and I believe I still have a bounty on my head. Not for long, part of the agreement I made with Eirawen was that she would take the bounty down and I wouldn't be arrested, no matter what the charge." She began walking towards the door, "I'm going to go check on Tracey now. We will meet again." With that, Vuui walked out of the Headquarters and disappeared in a flash before anyone else could see her.

The room was dark and dank, a single candle flickered on the floor beside the hay mattress that Tracey was currently laying on. In the corner staying watch over him were a phoenix who's flame licked the walls without burning the room to cinders, and a skeletal dragon who heart glowed a flickering purple in between its ribcage. Continuing to survey the room he had trouble placing where he was or why he was there in the first place. The last thing he could remember was traveling to Emain Macha when he had been attacked alongside the road and now he was here in a strange room surrounded by depictions of the Gods on the walls and stained windows. Footsteps could be heard walking towards the room and the door slowly opened to reveal the holy form of Pencast who's face lit up upon seeing him. "Good, you are awake. I was worried that the injuries you had were worst then I initially thought."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Tracey was confused. Everything was a fuzzy blur within his mind from the moment that he had been attacked on the road. Whenever he attempted to look back at his memories a wall would appear and block him out; his head ached from the struggle of trying to remember anything that had happened before he woke up in the church of Tara. Bits and pieces would fall into place only to be ripped away at the last second by some unseen hand snatching them like paper in the wind. Pencast knew not of what had happened to him, or what he supposedly had done. All that the bishop was able to tell him was that the General had sent him to sanctuary and that the two familiars at his feet were hers. Very rarely had he interacted with the leader of the Human regiment, but the few times he had he would have been lying if he said that he wasn't impressed by her demeanor and sense of character. She was elegant, regal and poised, her guard seeming to never be down no matter the situation, an intelligent gleam always sparkled within her dark eyes as if she knew everything that was going to happen before it occurred. She was calculative and mysterious, the picture of leadership. Which is why he was surprised, yet not surprised at all, that she would interfere with whatever he had done. Why would someone he barely knew keep him from prison, or the more likely scenario given that he was being held in sanctuary, death?

If he could have one wish it would be that he could remember what he had done, that he could know of what crime loomed over his head. Whatever it was, it left his body weak. He could barely move his arms despite all the strength he possessed; the rest of his body was no better off. There wasn't any pain, but there wasn't any feeling either. It was like he had become completely numb.

The heavy footsteps of the bishop echoed towards his chamber from the hall. Pencast was humming as he walked, the cheerful tune bouncing through the air and making the atmosphere less desolate from its pure notes. Straining, he struggled to turn his head towards the door, anxiously waiting for it to open in order to, hopefully, hear some news about what was going on. He didn't have to wait long, the humming and footsteps grew louder until there was an abrupt stop in front of what he could only assume was his door followed by the jangle of keys – he hadn't known that he had been locked in this entire time – and in came Pencast carrying a platter of bread and a fragrant broth that wafted through the air and towards his nose almost immediately. In the instant it took for the broth to fill his lungs his stomach began to gurgle violently, protesting at him from the apparent lack of food.

"You will need your strength," Pencast blew over the broth in order to cool it before ladling it into a small copper spoon and gently raising it to Tracey's chapped lips, "the General has sent a message and she is on her way to speak with you," a flash of fear crossed over the keeper of the Logging Camps face for a fleeting moment but the bishop shushed him before he could protest and instead ladled more of the broth into Tracey's open mouth, "my son, no harm shall befall you in these walls. The General brought you here for your own safety and has sent her most powerful of familiars to protect you in her stead. Do not fear the one that hast saved you." Tracey visibly relaxed at the bishops soothing words, at the moment resigning himself to just be content and enjoy the food the chefs of the church had graciously prepared for him.

As Pencast continued to feed the wounded man before him, he rattled on about the comings and goings of the city, holding a one-way-conversation between himself and Tracey who decided to just eat instead of talk. Fury and Nightmare rested in their corner of the small room, both seeming to listen as well to what the elderly man had to say, their heads cocked to the side and eyes locked onto the bishop's form intently. Only a few spoonsful of the broth remained when a knock came at the open door, the bishop stopping his rambling abruptly to look at the figure behind him.

Tracey gulped nervously at the intruder, his mind not processing who the fiery woman with wings could possibly be, even though she looked strikingly familiar. "Ah," Pencast placed the bowl on the ground next to his feet then stood up, his bones cracking from age, "welcome General, I am glad that everything is well."

"There is no need for the formalities Pencast, I will no longer be going by that term for the time being, at least until my mission is over."

"Ah, yes. Well then Vuui I will leave you with my ward, though do remember that he is in a fragile condition," he walked towards the exit and gave Vuui a surprisingly stern look, "It is not my place, nor has it been in a long time for that matter, but Vuui," he placed a hand on her shoulder, "be careful and wary. For the past is lined in our future." With that he exited the room, his gentle footsteps echoing off of the walls in the hallway and receding farther into the church before disappearing altogether. Once the room was silent and Vuui and Tracey were fully alone the General closed the door behind her and took extra care to lock it in place, then sat were Pencast had been only mere seconds before.

"You don't recognize me do you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"No," Tracey said honestly, "but you seem familiar, and from what I have gathered you are the General of the human regiment, though at the moment you do not look that human."

With a sigh Vuui kept her disappointment masked and focused on the goal at hand, "Do you know why you are here?"

The man shook his head as well as he could, "No, I'm afraid I don't remember that either, I've asked Pencast but the man had no answers for me. He said that you would fill me in when you arrived."

"You are here so that you will not be executed for treason by the kingdom," Tracey opened his mouth to interrupt but she quickly placed a hand over it so that he wouldn't speak. Once he finally relaxed, understanding that he needed to be quiet she removed her hand and cleared her throat and continued what she had been trying to say before. "This afternoon after the festival I had found you in the Logging Camp, transformed into a monstrous demon. After discovering you in said form you had immediately attacked me in which we had a battle and I defeated you. Do you remember any of this?"

A look of shock fell over his features, his face growing pale and sickly at what Vuui had described, "N-N-No, that cannot be… I would never-," Vuui held up her hand, silencing Tracey before he put himself into a fit.

"I take it you don't remember this then," he was about to speak once more but she silenced him again, "just nod or shake your head. I'll try to keep my questions worded that way so that you don't stress yourself out any further. I'm afraid I hadn't recognized you at first during our battle and I am not one to hold back. Do you understand?"

Tracey nodded. "Good. Now, do you remember our fight?"

He shook his head. "Do you remember turning into a demon?"

He shook his head once more. "Have you been conspiring with those of Cessair's forces?" Again he shook his head. "Alright, do you know what day it is today?" Again his response was a no. "I will need you to speak for this next one, but please answer this calmly and shortly. What is the last day that you remember? And have you been attacked recently?"

"I'm not sure what the date was, I never keep track of them. But I had been on my way to Emain Macha to deliver a package to an unknown sender that had been sent to me by mistake. I've had mistake's like this in the past that I had handled so I thought nothing of it. But," he paused and coughed, "do you mind giving me some of the water over there," Vuui helped him drink it without question, "thank you. Now as I was saying, I thought nothing of it so I went to Emain Macha planning to give the package to its rightful owner. I hadn't even looked at it. When on the road, only a mile away from the gates, I was attacked by bandits. That's the last that I remember. Did you say today was the festival?"

"Yes, today was the day the new recruits for the Alban Knights graduated from their training," Vuui replied casually.

"Then it must have been a little over a month since I was attacked. From what I can remember the festival was still pretty far away, I had been planning on attending it in fact."

Vuui sighed, "Thank you, Tracey," standing up Vuui made her way towards the door, "The only ones who know about what had happened today are me, the Captain, Pencast, and the Princess. Until everything is clear you are to remain here for your own safety. Though I was able to obtain your pardon from Lady Eirawen herself and I trust Talvish, I do not trust his subordinates. There have been way too many deaths of people in your position to my liking and I wouldn't be surprised to find your body in a few days despite promises given. You have been placed in my custody on orders of the Princess, and in hand, I place you in the care of Pencast. There are things I have to take care of."

"Why did you help me?" She was about to leave but the question stopped her in her tracks.

"A life for a life…" With that, Vuui exited the small room and closed the door once more behind her. She could remember as if it were yesterday the day the keeper of the Logging Camp had saved her life. Tracey had saved the Blood Mage, the most feared bandit in all of Erinn, without even realizing it. All he saw was a young teen covered in her own blood, her wild mane chopped in disarray, a feral look in her crazed eyes looking more like an animal on the defense rather than a person, and a soul-deep pain radiating from her at all angles. He knew that she was a bandit, he didn't know which one of course, but never-the-less he healed her. Never once asking for her name, only asking about how she got hurt and the occasional question about her life until one day she was fully healed and had left feeling confused more than relieved about being finally able to leave and go back to her crew. The day she left Vuui spent the entire day and night following into the next week just walking. Not even caring where she was going. She didn't even bother contacting her crew, content for the time being to be lost in her thoughts. When Vuui had finally stopped walking she had somehow made it all the way into the Sidhe Sneachta and knew what she wanted to do. It was then that she had gone to Tarlach and he had made her the limiters that, until today, she hadn't taken off since unless there was no other choice. It was also the day that the Blood Mage had officially died and Vuui had emerged, dominating the entrance exams and training camp for the military and leading her to eventually take over it and be where she is today. She owed everything to Tracey, this is why she would keep him alive and end this war with Cessair once and for all, because now… it was personal. They had gone after the wrong person this time.

Taking out the piece of paper the hawk had given her she looked over the whereabouts of her old comrades and couldn't suppress the feeling of dread that had washed over her. All of them were dangerous, each of them becoming leaders of their own groups at this point in life and each having a hefty bounty on their heads. It would be a struggle to get all of them to cooperate with her and help her with what she had to do. Part of her said that it would never work, not after her disappearing on them like she had, the other part of her, though – the one that was more hopeful – said that the loyalty they used to share would outweigh the negative that would more-than-likely now hang between them. But she had to try, not just for Tracey's sake but for all the innocents that have been killed in this pointless war.

Vuui didn't bother saying goodbye to anyone else as she made her way back out of the church, leaving her familiars behind with Tracey in order to add just a little more protection in case things went sour with the Alban Knights. Paper still in hand Vuui looked at it once more as she stood on the steps of the church, the night air cool against her face. Scattered all over Erinn in every direction were the seven members of the infamous bandit group the Hunters, now leaders of their own bandit groups. None of them suspecting that the Blood Mage, their old leader and most feared ally, was coming for them. Smirk plastered to her face, Vuui began to hum a tune she hadn't thought of in years as she casually walked away from the church and into the streets of Tara. Guui was going to be in for one hell of a surprise when she arrived in the morning at his base.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Vuui was able to find Guui's camp far easier than she had expected; she hadn't expected the job to be exactly hard in the first place but she couldn't help but feel embarrassed for her former teammate when after looking for about five minutes she was able to spot his location miles away by site alone. Where others would have overlooked the oddly placed boulders and shrubbery, mistaking them for nothing more than the normal landscape for the area, Vuui was not one to be fooled so easily. She had taught him and the others of her former team that trick after all, and her sharp eyes could easily identify what was real and what was fake in the little meadow near Ciar. Guui had never been the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to common sense but when it came to battle and tactical matters he was up there with some of the brightest minds of their age. So for him to be more-or-less camped out in plain sight for anyone with even a small amount of knowledge on bandits to notice, meant that he was either waiting for a specific person that he was targeting to come up this way or – what Vuui was counting on – he has been unchallenged long enough to the point that he lost his caution due to him relying on his past reputation. Given the fact that, as she carefully came up the road without hiding in order to provoke them she wasn't being attacked, she was going with the latter.

Hood shrouding her face Vuui continued to walk past the obviously fake shrubbery and boulders waiting for someone – anyone really – to jump out at her. She was about to give up on her first attempt to draw them out when she slowly began to make it past them and a rustle to her left stopped her in her tracks. Not wanting to let them know that she caught on to them she started to walk again, this time deliberately slower than before, taunting them with what looked like easy prey instead of what was actually waiting for them when they finally took the bait. It didn't take long for more rustling to emerge around her, and it took everything in Vuui not to smirk at Guui's new groups stupidity. The first rule of being a bandit is to never take the easiest prey for the ones who travel alone are the ones who could handle their own and would take your head. It seems that she would have to teach them that fact first hand after this, but was also grateful that they seemed ignorant or at least over confident at the moment. It would play out in her favor after all.

A large shadow appeared in front of her, one that seemed to tower into the sky and blocked her path. Vuui stopped and looked from beneath the flap of her hood to inspect the figure in front of her and couldn't suppress the smirk that came this time around. It seems that Guui had grown rather bold in the last few years since they had last seen each other. She didn't doubt his abilities, she knew all too well how strong the Giant was and knew that he had grown over the years in strength just as she had, he wouldn't have such a large bounty on his head if he hadn't grown stronger after all, but it still surprised her that he would come out in plain site before any of his men to confront a lone traveler. That didn't add up.

Guui stood tall and menacing, his stance a show of power; a small slim leg was slung against both of his shoulders, and there sat a small demigod girl with a cat-like nose and fluffy ears coming from the top of her head. Vuui knew that they were supposed to look terrifying but to her the image of the two of them was more comical than anything else which is why, before she could contain the laughter, it bubbled fourth and an avalanche followed shortly after to the point where she was holding onto her gut from the hilarity of it all. As she was laughing the small figure of the girl had jumped off of Guui's shoulders and had charged her, the blow of her sword aiming for her head. Within seconds Vuui deflected and grabbed the sword by its blade and snapped it in half then grabbed the pommel with her spare hand and smashed it into the girl's chin drawing blood. Guui then came up from behind her, about to pound her skull into the ground but was deflected by a swift kick to the groin from Vuui who sent him flying halfway through a tree. Just as he was about to charge, his men coming out of the shadows and aiming bows and swords at her, Vuui took off her hood and threw the borrowed cloak to the ground, revealing who she was. "Long time no see Guui," she then extended her hand to him and helped him to his feet, a look of shock plastered on his face.

"Blood Mage is that really you?"

Vuui nodded, "there's a lot I have to discuss with you old friend."

After learning that their boss knew the person who had defeated him and his right hand Mewecho, Vuui had been welcomed with open arms by all of the bandits who preceded to throw together a feast and music as Guui relived his glory days and recounted tales of the Hunters adventures against the law. The General didn't know what to make of all the excitement, having expected Guui to be furious at her sudden disappearance years ago than anything else, she remained wary as the festivities commenced. Staying silent and keeping to Guui's side. Mewecho nudged her arm and broke Vuui from her thoughts and gestured to Guui who was looking at her intently expecting some sort of answer from her.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought, what did you say?"

Guui gave her a big grin, "I was just asking if you came this way because of the rumors?"

"What rumors?" She was genuinely surprised that there were rumors going about in this part of Ulahd, the area was remotely quiet with its inhabitants keeping to themselves. They weren't exactly ones to gossip or spread nonsense.

"Apparently, the General of the Human regiment for the kingdom is looking for every one of our old crew from what a little birdie told me, they had spotted one of the Princess's informants scoping the area and managed to catch what they were doing. We had planned to jump the General and their crew when they inevitably came for us but stumbled on you instead," Vuui stiffened at the news, "figured you had found out and decided to get them yourself considering how you were imprisoned an' all. How did you escape by-the-way? I swore Dorrie was watching the place looking for you and any ways to get in…." He trailed off looking at her skeptically.  
Vuui hadn't known that the Hunters had thought that she was in prison this entire time, that little tidbit of information made things a lot easier for her, she just had to think fast and give some explanations without rousing suspicions on who she had really become and what had happened oh-so-long ago. "I hadn't heard those rumors per say, but I had heard a few while I had been locked up," Vuui leaned back and relaxed nonchalantly, "I had heard that Cessair was running amuck and was planning on coming after all of you in order to fully take over the Kingdom, apparently the coward fears the Hunters enough to know that we wouldn't hand over our turf without a fight," at that she roused a roaring chuckle from the crowd of bandits around her, "so I finally broke out. Let me tell you that was no easy feat either, it took years of planting seeds of friendship in the guards – which by-the-by are getting denser with each passing year – but I had to somehow find you guys and make sure you're alright. Which, where are the others? Shouldn't they be around here with you Guui? What happened when I was captured?"

Vuui knew full well what had happened to the Hunters, she knew that they had separated and each became leaders of their own gang of Bandits, that they were known to be exceedingly fierce to the point of most people avoiding going after their bounties altogether because of the likelihood of them winding up dead. She knew that the Kingdom wouldn't go after them whenever they raided and pillaged because they fought without mercy and the weaklings who they called soldiers would never succeed in a fight against them. The only one who could possibly defeat any of them and their gangs would be Vuui but she wasn't stupid enough to show her face to them, even with her limiters on they would recognize her and that's the last thing she needed to happen. For that very reason is why she never allowed anyone to take her photograph or paint pictures of her, in case anyone recognized her and her old crew found out. If they knew that the General that held a reputation almost as equal to their own was the Blood Mage, former leader of the Hunters, a war would be brought to the kingdom because of her betrayal and not even Vuui was sure that she would be able to stop it without a large number of casualties at her feet.

Guui looked to the ground forlornly as Vuui awaited the answer that she knew he would deliver, ready to play her part when the time came. "Tarlach was the one who told us what happened," that answered one of her questions, "that you had been injured gravely in that last attack and had hidden out in the Logging Camp with the keeper as your hostage, that you were trying to heal in order to meet up with him so that you could say goodbye, that you knew that you were going to be captured and put to death this time. Instead of killing you though they gave you a life sentence, saying that they would execute you once they caught all of us so that the world could see all of our heads fall at once," he looked at Vuui with a furious glint in his eyes, "we couldn't allow that, so we split up and went our separate ways and made sure to expand our reputations so that you would never be executed. We were planning your escape, have been for years now," he sighed, "to think that you beat us to it and only so that you could defend us." Guui couldn't help but let out an ironic laugh as he smoothed one of his enormous hands down his face. "But you are here now and that's all that matters, so what's your plan?"

Sitting up straight and keeping eye contact Vuui said matter-of-factly, "To regroup and take down Cessair of course." All eyes fell on her and jaws hit the ground. Silence permeated the air like a deafening blow as shock ran across all of the faces around her.

"You're not serious are you?" Mewecho asked quietly, voicing what everyone was thinking.

"I'm completely serious."

"B-b-b-but that's impossible." Someone said through the now murmuring campsite.

"Why pray tail is that?" Vuui crossed her arms and awaited an answer, knowing that no one would be able to come up with one. Surprisingly though it was Guui who cleared his throat and turned to look at her.

"No offense Blood Mage but, you've been locked up for a long time, and not just in any cell either but one that had your energy closed off and where you weren't allowed to even leave let alone exercise or train daily. Tarlach told us all about it and even showed us which cell you were in so you can't deny it," she had to really remember to thank her guardian for doing so much to cover for her whenever she saw him again, "You may have bested me in our quick tumble earlier in the day but if the fight had continued I would have won regardless of how powerful you used to be. Not to mention the fact that getting the crew back together would be impossible at this point. It's been too long, we have different lives and different responsibilities now, we can't just pack up and go for the head of a mad man. Not to mention that if we did somehow get back together we would more-or-less be on the side of the Kingdom and it would be a cold day in hell before any of us would allow that to happen."

"Your wrong," she stared at him point blank, not budging.

"How am I wrong," irritation lined Guui's words, "there's no way you are strong enough to take on that guy anymore, and we all know that out of all of us back then that you were the strongest. Maybe if you had been younger you could take him but there's no way that you could now. And even then you wouldn't be able to convince any of us to follow you into that mess."

"I can assure you Guui the Twin Fists, that I can indeed take Cessair on and win. And," a sinister smirk curled over Vuui's lips, "You and everyone else will join me," shadowy power seemed to radiate off of her as she spoke, "because what you forget is that this war is no longer just about the kingdom, it's on us now. That bastard is now aiming for our heads, for each and every one of our heads, and I can't just let that slide now can I. Now, let's make a deal shall we Twin Fists."

Guui audibly gulped. "What sort of deal are we talking about?"

"If I can defeat your strongest men, going from weakest to most powerful out of the lot, including yourself and your right hand over here in a ring battle, each of us using nothing but our strength of body and wills only, then you will come with me as I journey to find the others and take down Cessair."

He raised his eyebrows and folded his arms, "and if you lose."

"I won't be losing," Vuui stood up and dusted herself off, "but if you really need to know, I'll give you the location to all of the loot that we had buried off of Belvasts coast. I'm sure none of you had found it since I was the only one who knew of its whereabouts."

Guui seemed to be contemplating for a moment but his love for treasure won out in the end when he nodded and extended his hand for Vuui to shake, "you better not be bluffing because I fully expect a map and directions to that loot as soon as this is over. And no complaining when we kick your ass either."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Everything was falling into place, even after so many years Guui was predictable when it came to treasure, especially the one that they had left at Belvast. That had been their biggest haul to date, not long after they had stolen it off of that royal entourage Vuui had hidden it because the kingdom was tracking them down with a force that they had never chased them with before. In order to keep the rest of the Hunters safe she had kept the location to herself, that way if anyone was captured then the kingdoms dogs wouldn't be able to prosecute them for the crime since they hadn't seen it or touched it, let alone know where it was buried. The only one taking the risks of life imprisonment was Vuui and as leader she was fine with that. What she hadn't been planning at the time though was what happened not long after she had buried it all. She had been expecting an attack, as the leader of the most notorious Bandit crew in Erinn she knew it was going to happen, especially with the ferocity that the military and random milletians were tracking her down as of late. What she hadn't been expecting was for her to nearly die and lose badly at that. She had never told anyone of the attack, not even Tarlach knew. But it was a lone man, some upstart who looked no older than her. He had been more powerful than her, and he was the strongest opponent that she had ever faced at that time.

The man had worn a cloak, his face shrouded all but a few strands of his long auburn hair falling from its folds. From top to bottom he was covered in armor and leathers. There was absolutely nothing distinguishable about him that would have given him away as to who he was. Even so, Vuui remembered him vividly in her mind to this day. She would never forget the person who had nearly ended her life and had effortlessly defeated her as if she was a child. That man had in a way killed her that day, he had killed the 'Blood Mage' and in the 'Blood Mages' place replaced her with someone much better. If it wasn't for that attack Vuui would never have been saved by Tracey, she would never have gone to Tarlach renouncing her ways and begging for a chance to redeem herself for all her unforgivable actions over the years, she would have never become a soldier and in turn become the General of the human regiment for the kingdom that had not that long ago wanted her head, and she wouldn't have devoted her life to protecting the Princess Eirawen who was more than just her leader. Despite their difference in positions in life, and despite how Eirawen still ordered her around and made her do things that were crazy and risky, they shared a bond that went beyond blood and made them sisters in arms. Vuui could honestly say that the Princess, Andras and Tarlach were here only family….

Vuui used to be able to say the same thing about the Hunters and a pang erupted through her heart as she thought back to those days of old that felt more like the life of another person altogether rather than her own. Part of her felt bad for tricking Guui at the moment, despite their differences in lives and the paths they had chosen he had still been her comrade long ago and she couldn't help but wonder if she was doing the right thing by bringing him back into her life. Even if it was to destroy Cessair and protect the kingdom what she was essentially doing was using Guui and the others if they agreed to come with her. They harbored no hard feelings towards her at the moment from what she could tell, but if they were to ever find out her true motives and the real circumstances of her disappearance all those years ago then there would be hell to pay. None of that mattered though now if they could do this. If they could destroy Cessair and his armies, then that was all that mattered. Too many lives had been destroyed because of him and by whatever means necessary he had to be stopped. _But couldn't you have done that without involving your old crew,_ a voice inside her replied, _you could have let sleeping dogs lie and found others who were more than capable of helping you? Just admit it, you wanted to see them and work with them one last time…._

Not wanting to admit what was going around in her own heart Vuui continued to stretch and prepare herself for the battle that was about to commence. Guui was still cocky as ever and had decided to send her up against some weaklings who didn't look like they could even lift a sword. He was sending her against Goblins and though she was relieved that he was still gullible and overconfident she was still annoyed that he thought so little of her abilities. The Goblin in front of her was shaking in his boots and though she hated what she was going to have to do she wasn't allowed to show him mercy at the moment. In the past she wouldn't have hesitated to beat down even the weakest and most vulnerable of opponents, but she had grown since then and now she was feeling nothing but disgust for what she was about to have to do rather than the malicious pride and enthusiasm that she would have felt before.

Mewecho had drawn a large circle in the dirt in the center of the campsite, all of Guui's crew was surrounding the circle and waiting for the show to commence. Vuui stood across from the scared Goblin, a shadow crossing over her features as she contemplated the quickest way to get out of this fight and the least likely ways to kill the poor creature.

"Is everyone ready," Mewecho chimed from the center of the makeshift ring. Both fighters nodded and she looked at Guui who gave her a subtle nod then began to count, "One… Two… Three! Start!"

Almost as soon as the fight began within a second it had ended and Vuui stood in her spot, appearing to not have even moved with the Goblin at her feet petrified and unconscious. Only the crickets could be heard throughout the campsite as everyone stared at Vuui in a mixture of shock, fear and anger. "Now that that farce is over," Vuui turned to Guui, "how about you send in someone worth my effort Twin Fists and stop wasting my time. The longer we draw this out the longer it takes for us to find the others so let's get this over with." She smirked at him and she could tell that Guui's blood was boiling at her challenge and assumptions. She could sense a movement behind her and sent whoever was attacking her from behind flying into the nearest tree, breaking it in half. "Anyone else?" She turned her gaze to the crowd around her and they visibly all took a step back in shock.

"This is pointless." The crowd began to murmur.

"She's going to destroy us all."

"You fight her then."

"No, you fight her."

"She's crazy!"

"Enough!" Mewecho's voice rose above the now roaring crowd. "It's obvious that you are all cowards," she turned towards the bandits, "so I'll be your opponent. But let's make this interesting."

"I'm all ears."

"If I win you will join Guui's crew, you will be my personal subordinate for a year and any loot that you earn or steal will go to me the entire time. You will obey all of my commands no matter what they are, and will repair my swords by hand. I've heard the legends about you and know for a fact because of Guui that you are a master blacksmith and master of magic craft. So you should be able to fix and make my sword better than ever before no problem."

Vuui was impressed, the girl was young but she had the makings of a good leader and negotiator. It was obvious they were still underestimating her, they were taking her a little more seriously now after the ridiculous display with the Goblin and whoever had decided to ambush her while her back was turned. But they still didn't think she was up to par with how she used to be. In a way they were right, she wasn't. In fact, she was much stronger, so yes she was nowhere close to how she used to be as a warrior or as a magician. They just didn't know that. Mewecho obviously believed she had the upper hand, she was more-then-likely strong, and she knew that having the infamous 'Blood Mage' around would be beneficial to everyone in the crew so Vuui wasn't surprised by the terms.

"I accept. But if I win, you will come with me no matter how my fight with Guui goes. You will help me track down all the other former Hunters and will help me in my attack against Cessair for the next year. If we have not destroyed the bastard by then you are free to go and return to this crew. You will remain loyal to me the entire year and you will make a vow to the Gods so that you cannot go back on your word under the penalty of death. To show that I will take my end of the deal seriously I will vow the same if in the case that I lose. Also," she paused for a moment considering, "I see that you are a demigod as well. What do you say that we make this even more interesting and give these people a show? No holding back, full strength and using every natural tool in our arsenals. Demigod versus demigod."

Mewecho was not sure what to say. She hadn't been counting on the Blood Mage to actually take her up on her offer and counter it with one of her own. If she wins, which she was sure that she would, then she had the most famous outlaw in history as her servant and at her beck and call. If she lost though… Was she really willing to be taken away from the only family she had ever known. She didn't care about the others in the gang but Guui had been her everything for the last fifteen years. Could she really leave him for a year…?

But, if she lost and Guui lost as well then they would both have to go with the Blood Mage and search for his former gang members. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. For as long as she could remember it had always been him and her against the world, and she was scared that with Blood Mage and the others of the Hunters soon to come back into his life that he would no longer need her.

When the Hunters had split up, Erinn had rejoiced. The people had no longer feared for their safety and villages were rejoicing everywhere. For a full year everything was peaceful and happy, the roads were safe and for the first time in a long time no one feared for their lives along every corner. What no one was expecting though was for the influx of bandit groups that had emerged from the shadows almost all at once. It seemed that everyone wanted to copy the Hunters and become the next king of the bandits, and a new wave of fear washed over the land like never before.

Growing up Mewecho was exceedingly poor back then, her family could barely afford to feed her and her ten brothers and sisters and they lived off of one meal a day most of the time. Her father had been a milletian who had once been famous throughout the land as a bandit hunter, but not long after she had been born her father had chased after the Hunters and suffered the consequences. He had gone against the Blood Mage, the same one she was about to go against now, and had lost both of his legs in the process resulting him to become an alcoholic and leaving his family to pick up the slack from his new addiction. Her mother had become cold, wanting nothing to do with her father or her and her siblings, often ignoring them as she tended their measly farm that barely produced a bushel of potatoes every season. Thus whenever she could Mewecho began to steal and pickpocket. Her parents never noticed what she was doing, and her siblings weren't about to rat her out. So she began to steal food and supplies from carts and people's houses when they weren't suspecting. That way her family wouldn't starve to death, especially in the winter. Her older siblings had jobs, but the money they made all went towards the bills, debts and their fathers drinking habits. Often leaving her and the other children neglected. For years she had blamed the Hunters with a passion. Choosing to place all blame on them rather than on her father's weaknesses.

That view didn't change for a long time. Not until the day that Guui had saved her and her siblings lives….

 _Snow covered the ground. The trees were barren and silence filled the air. Her mother had been standing there, a deranged look in her eyes as she continued to tie up Mewecho and her siblings one by one in the den of their small shack. The blood from their father still staining their mother's fingertips. They were scared, they didn't know what to do. Everyone was in shock. The older children who had tried to stop their mother lay near their father, head carved in from the hammer they had taken to the skull. Crying echoed in Mewecho's ears and blood was rushing to her face and eyes bulged as she saw her mother start laying logs all around them and the shack, knowing that she was about to be burned alive._

 _Fire licked at the walls, her mother cackling like a madman, billowy black clouds of smoke filled the room and Mewecho could hear the coughing and crying of her brothers and sisters around her, her own tears leaking down her cheeks as she was beginning to cry hysterically as well. Not understanding why this was happening. Why her mother didn't love them…_

 _Things were starting to become dark, her eyes clouding over, when suddenly the smoke was gone. The fire had stopped. The roof of their tiny shack was completely torn from the foundation and her mother was nowhere in sight, all that remained in the spot that she had been standing in was a nauseating pile of red clumps and pools of blood with a Giant standing over the remains. He looked like a beast, a monster in the flesh… yet he had just saved all of their lives…._

When Guui had saved Mewecho and her siblings lives she had joined him in order to repay the massive debt that they had owed him for the deed. He didn't want her to at first, trying many times to get rid of her along the way. And he nearly had when he revealed who he was after weeks of trying to get her to go back home… She had attacked him. He didn't even defend himself from her blows. After she released her anger out on him tears had streamed down her face and she ran. She didn't stop running the entire night and eventually fell into a fit of exhaustion, unable to move any longer as she collapsed against the nearest tree she could find. Not knowing that she fell into a bandit trap. When she awoke she was once again tied down, the fresh memories of the incident with her mother playing before her eyes as they blindfolded her and marched her to some unknown destination. It didn't take long for her to realize they were slave traders and had planned to sell her for a profit. Scared and desperate Mewecho had made a desperate escape one night and hadn't gotten far before they caught her again. Just as they had grabbed her an enormous figure emerged and had throttled them. Guui had been tracking her the whole time and had once again saved her life.

Mewecho was indebted to him far more than she was willing to admit, and was attached to him far more than she liked. Leaving him for a year unsettled her. Though she wanted to fight Blood Mage she wasn't sure she could go with the terms. But….

"I accept Blood Mage."

"Good, then are you ready? Twin Fists will you do the honors?" Vuui could see the fire in Mewecho's eyes and knew this was going to be a good fight, the girl was strong and she was a demigod, so she wasn't one to be underestimated in the slightest.

Guui shared a look with Mewecho, seeming to be slightly on edge as he walked towards the circle where the two demigods stood facing each other prepared to duel. His cocky jubilance was gone from before and he seemed tense as he looked at both competitors.

"Is everyone ready," he looked at the women before him and they both nodded.

"Then on the count of three the fight will begin. One… Two…. Three!"

Within seconds time stopped and both women clashed, wings tangling, feathers flying and mixing into a downy sea of white and black as the two collided.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

 _"_ _Is everyone ready," he looked at the women before him and they both nodded._

 _"_ _Then on the count of three, the fight will begin. One… Two…. Three!"_

 _Within seconds time stopped and both women clashed, wings tangling, feathers flying and mixing into a downy sea of white and black as the two collided._

Light encompassed the ring completely, blocking out all detail from the surrounding area and leaving nothing but a bright white harshness to be seen as Vuui and Mewecho fists connected, the impact shuddering the ground around them and sending waves of energy blasting off into all directions. Both women glowed radiantly like fiery beacons, snapping at each other fiercely; to any onlooker, it would appear to be a battle between two angels falling from the heavens as they clawed, punched and kicked. Tossing each other around like the other was nothing more than a tiny pebble rather than a powerful adversary out for their blood.

Still… Vuui held back….

She could win this instantly, this she knew. Though the girl was strong, stronger then even some of the more seasoned of her soldiers within even her top units, in the end, the demigod was still no match for her. Vuui was older, wiser, more experienced and had more fighting knowledge than she ever had back when she had been the leader of the Hunters. Mewecho however, though strong and stealthy, was sloppy in her movements. The girl appeared to have some training, obviously Guui must have taught her a thing or two within their travels, Vuui wouldn't put it past him to teach his right hand all of the dirty tricks that he had accumulated over the years in order to help her get stronger, but she was uncoordinated and took to many risks. She was reckless in her determination to defeat her opponent, trying to bring Vuui down with her strength, will and tricks alone and not using her brain. She didn't even bother to block or counter any of her attacks, getting wounded far quicker than she should have if she had been properly trained in combat.

Eventually, Mewecho would grow tired, her will being the only thing that kept her moving, that would be when Vuui would end this. Until then she wanted to see what the girl could do, she wanted to test her, see how powerful the girl actually was and what moves she possibly possessed. Since the moment that the other demigod had outright attacked her before anyone else could when she had first arrived before even Guui could strike, she had her eye on her. And she liked what she was seeing. Mewecho would make a valuable asset in defeating Cessair and Vuui wasn't going to let an opportunity to get the girl on her team go to waste. Even if she didn't defeat Guui and manage to get him on her team at least she would be walking away with possibly an even greater prize than the Twin Fists as her partner.

Grabbing the smaller demigod by her arms Vuui twirled them in the air, creating a spiral of wind around them; locking their arms together she then flipped them upside down and with a burst of energy plummeted them at its unforgiving surface. Their wings unfurled harshly as they rocketed downwards, ripping them forwards and upwards from the velocity of their descent. Mewecho in a last ditch effort to break away from Vuui's hold gathered her strength and in one swift burst of power grabbed control of the current and flipped their positioning in the air at the last second and smashed Vuui into the ground. Debris and dust crashed out of the ring in all directions, breaking the spell that Vuui had placed around the bandits and allowed time to move once more. Mewecho stood over Vuui's form, not being able to see her from the smoke and dust of the crater but knowing that she was victorious, the roar of her comrades echoing in her ears when her world was turned upside down and she was smashed back first into the ground, Vuui's fist clenching around her throat.

A wicked gleam twinkled in Vuui's eyes and a savage smirk stretched across her thin lips, her long black hair tangled in the wind behind her as she grinned down gleefully at Mewecho beneath her. Her body trembled from the excess of power leaking off of her in waves and from the excitement of the fight between her and the small pale demigod she currently held pinned. "Surely that's not the best you can do," goading Mewecho on Vuui tightened her grip and anticipated the reversal of their roles before the girl even flipped them.

"I'm just getting started!" Mewecho growled before aiming a punch towards the older demigods' face, landing the hit harshly on the others cheek and feeling satisfied with the bruising that was already starting to form on the woman's skin.

Chuckling Vuui reared upwards and knocked the platinum-haired girl off of her with a head-butt that resonated with a loud crack, "That was good but let's try a little more force this time shall we, and a little less anger it clouds your power and won't allow you to hit as hard!" To demonstrate she gave a swift punch to Mewecho's gut, making sure not to use to much force but also getting her point across. _Might as well teach her a thing or two while we are fighting, she may learn something…._

"Now hit me!" Vuui took a step back and waited, Mewecho's still form twitching slightly as she glared daggers at her from her grounded position. "Get up!" Vuui continued to goad her on, lighting fire inside Mewecho, needing to see that passion again. To see that unlocked power that the girl obviously had. "I said GET UP!" Mewecho continued to struggle to move, the punch obviously affecting her more than Vuui thought that it would considering the determination that the other had been showing since the moment that they had met. "GET UP AND HIT ME NOW!" Mewecho tried to stand, her entire body trembling as she pushed herself up and tried to take a step forward, her knees almost instantly crashing to the dirt in the process. Her icy eyes continued to stare threateningly at Vuui, the will to fight still radiating deep from inside of her despite the obvious pain coursing through her body.

 _I can't stop now… I can't…_ Mewecho tried once more to stand and slowly rose to her feet, her will driving her forward as she pushed herself to fight once more. "Good," she could hear the smirk in Vuui's voice, "Now hit me!"

"Shut up!"

"Why don't you come make me-"

Fist colliding with Vuui's jaw once more Mewecho growled in anger, "I said shut up!"

Still standing the older demigod smacked her fist away, not even flinching from the impact of the hit that had turned her chin a bright red, "Again!"

"SHUT UP!" Another punch.

"AGAIN!" Another…

"SHUT UP!" This time even harder…

"AGAIN!"

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Vuui didn't avoid either hit, taking each in as Mewecho lost control and finally started hitting with full force, seeming to grow stronger with every outburst. "STOP LETTING ME HIT YOU AND FIGHT ME YOU COWARD! FIGHT BACK!" Vuui allowed her to hit her again, still giving the same command, "DAMNIT, FIGHT BACK!" Sending one more punch she finally knocked Vuui to the ground, the Blood Mage still smiling up at her, blood smearing her face and in her phlegm as she spat to the ground. The roar of the bandits was growing louder and angrier as Vuui once more stood back up, patting herself down as if nothing happened.

This time when Mewecho kicked at her head Vuui blocked her, grabbing onto the girl's ankle and squeezing hard, not allowing her to leave her grip. The younger then attempted to kick her again with her other leg but Vuui knocked her to the ground, pinning her with her upper body and tangling her legs so that she couldn't push her away, pressing her elbows against the juncture of where her wings met with her shoulder blades to keep her down. She then leaned down to her ear, "I can end this anytime I want to. Be glad I want to see you fight," Vuui then jumped away from her and readied herself for the attack that was surely coming for her.

The Blood Mage was toying with her….

Blood boiling, unadulterated rage consumed every part of her body as the fire and fury needed to defeat the older demigod coursed through Mewecho's veins. "THEN END IT BITCH AND FIGHT ME!" Running full speed at the Blood Mage she aimed various kicks rapidly all over her body that the older woman blocked as if they were nothing, very few of them making contact with their intended target as she continuously kicked and kicked and kicked. Her lungs ached, her body sore all over from the few blows that the former leader of the Hunters had actually aimed at her. Not much was keeping her up any longer, her body beginning to give out despite her determination to win… her will to keep moving. "C'MON ALREADY!"

Managing to land another hit against the Blood Mage who continued to stay on the defensive she smirked, her opponent seeming to stumble before within seconds Mewecho was blown backwards and the world turned dark….

It was enough. The girl had no more that she could give, the show was over and Vuui was impressed. Mewecho would make a great student someday, that is if she agreed to allow her to train her. Unleashing her magic, she slowly walked over towards the unconscious girl and healed her wounds and put her into a peaceful sleep that would be filled with good memories, then focused on her own. The girl had done a number on her, more than she was willing to admit out loud, at least for the moment. When she got Mewecho alone with her she would gush all she wanted about how awesome the younger demigod had done. Not many people impressed her and even with her sloppy uncoordinated moves she reminded her of herself back when she led the Hunters. It was probably something that Guui had seen as well….

Lifting Mewecho into her arms she gently brought her to the bedroll that she had seen the girl sitting on before the deal she had made with Guui and laid her down, the silence in the clearing eerie as she turned back around to face the bandits staring at her with a mixture of fear and awe, most of them reaching for their weapons as Vuui strode forward back into the makeshift ring and healed the ground and making it look like it had before.

"I'm going to enjoy training her Guui, I think I'm going to make her my protégé after this," turning to the Twin Fists Vuui gave him a feral look, "with you I won't hold back old friend."

"I'll admit I wasn't expecting that," patting himself down Guui stretched his arms high above his head then slammed his fists together in front of his chest, "I hope that you know that Mewecho is going to be beyond pissed when she wakes up," he gave her a sideways look filled with concern then turned his attention back to Vuui who was waiting for him patiently in the middle of the repaired ring, "good luck in trying to get her to learn from you. You're going to need it. I hate to see her go with you, I'll admit. It was a foolish bet she made with you, we've obviously been underestimating you Blood Mage…" Guui paused, then walked forward into the ring and stood in front of Vuui with the same gleeful look as hers filling his eyes. "Let's settle this once and for all friend. Let's see who is truly the strongest after all this time."

"Yes, lets."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

 _"_ _Let's settle this once and for all old friend. Let's see who is truly the strongest after all this time."_

 _"_ _Yes, lets."_

"No fancy tricks, no weapons, just you me and our strength and agility," Guui extended his hand for her to shake.

Grasping his hand tightly Vuui shook it, "Just like old times than right. What was the score last time, ninety-six to eighty-eight wasn't it?"

"More like two hundred to sixty if I recall."

"I sincerely doubt that; you were never one to be known for your memory."

"You got me there. Ninety-six to eighty-eight it is then," getting ready to fight Guui bent his knees and brought up his hands with his fists clenched, "we all know I'm the ninety-six though," he gave a throaty laugh.

"In your dreams Twin Fists, I'm the ninety-six and you know it," Vuui copied his stance and within an instant the two ran at each other, both dodging the attacks effortlessly and ending up at the opposite sides of the rings from which they had started.

"I know you can do better than that, where's those legendary fists I remember so well?"

"I can say the same for you, weren't you supposed to be the fastest women in Erinn?"

They collided again, this time their fists meeting and bouncing off of each other from the impact and sending them back to their original spots once more. "Now that's more like it!" Vuui teased as Guui charged at her, fists raised as he aimed to smash her into the ground. Dodging his attack, the woman in question jumped and pushed off of his head and tipped him over so that he landed face first into the dirt.

Guui righted himself, "it definitely is. Just as quick as ever I see, but can you dodge this?" Flipping over he grabbed at Vuui's legs and caught her ankle as she went to leap away from him then threw her hard down onto her back. Dirt and dust flew from the impact and a soft laughing could be heard throughout the ring as the woman twisted her legs around his arm and knocked him down as well. The newly restored ring was quickly getting destroyed all over again as the two tussled, wrestling back and forth trying to keep the other down. They fought leisurely, neither one of them pulling their punches and both going at full strength and speed but keeping their moves timed and precise, neither of them rushed or hurried, both trying to keep the fight going as long as possible just like back when they were younger. The way they moved was like watching a dance that had been rehearsed many times before, the familiarity between them oozing with every move they made against the other. The spectators around them watched in silence as the two dueled, no one wanting to interrupt what was happening in front of them. Change was in the air and everyone could feel it.

They were evenly matched, both landing hits and kicks equally against the other and dodging attacks easily as if they were nothing. The fight was nothing like the fight between Vuui and Mewecho, where she had been testing the younger demigod and pulling her punches the fight between her and Guui was fierce. Both contestants striving to win and knowing that they didn't have to hold back in fear of hurting the other too significantly, being able to go all out.

"Getting tired yet?" Guui asked with a hurtling punch.

Dodging the attack with a dive Vuui swiped at his feet with a windmill kick, "It would take a lot more than this to tire me out," the giant jumped over her kick easily not even breaking a sweat, "what about you? Feeling sore?" When he had jumped over her kick Vuui bounced upwards and punched him in the jaw and knocked him a few feet away, his shoulders skidding in the dirt and sending rocks soaring into the crowd making them scatter.

Feral grin in place the giant laughed and stood back up, dusting himself off, "Not even in the slightest."

Mewecho couldn't believe her eyes. She had woken some time into the fight after having the most peaceful slumber she had ever had in her entire life and she was both disappointed and puzzled. Somehow she had lost…. She had lost to the Blood Mage. The former leader of the Hunters who had been imprisoned for years without even a moment out of chains had beaten her despite the fact that the elder demigod hadn't even a second to practice her skills in all that time. It amazed her that even at the weakened state that the woman most likely was in that she was still able to taunt her and treat Mewecho as a child in their fight. That she had been testing her and trapping her the entire time… That she had fallen into the trap without even an ounce of suspicion on her part.

She would now be traveling with the Blood Mage on her quest to take down Cessair with or without Guui depending on how her comrades match went against his former commander. Mewecho didn't know how to feel about this, part of her despite herself was hoping that he would lose just so that she wouldn't be left alone for a year with the mysterious infuriating woman, but another part of her wanted him to win because she couldn't fathom Guui ever losing a duel. The giant was just too powerful to lose. From the moment that they had met he had never lost once when it came down to battle, and even now with him not using his knuckles, tricks or skills but his bare hands and speed she couldn't even imagine the Blood Mage keeping up with him. He was a man and a Giant after all and even at the simplest level of combat he was unstoppable.

So why was the Blood Mage able to keep up with him…?

That's what puzzled her. She could tell that the elder demigod wasn't holding back, unlike when she fought her, that she was using all of her strength and agility to fight the colossal man before her and was keeping up with him blow for blow.

Guui and the Blood Mage fought viciously, both were throwing the other around and knocking their opponent to the ground as if the other weighed no more than a pillow. Part of her swore that the woman must be cheating, that there was no way that she was as powerful and strong as a male Giant, but as she watched the fight and the witty banter falling from both parties she could see that the elder demigod wasn't using her powers or even her enhanced abilities that being a demigod afforded her. She was fighting as a human would against a person four times her size and staying with him blow for blow.

Despite the indignation that she felt towards the elder demigod Mewecho couldn't help but admit that she was in both parts impressed by the strength that she held and jealous of how she interacted with Guui even as she fought with him. Even when Mewecho would practice duel with the Giant he never smiled like the way he did against his former commander, he didn't banter with her in a rival like fashion making snide jokes and offhanded insults that were never meant to be taken seriously. When they fought he pulled his punches, he always questioned if she was ok and treated her with a fragility that always annoyed her. With the Blood Mage, he treated her like an equal, never holding back against her regardless of her size, letting loose and being free and fluid with his actions that he rarely showed anyone of his crew.

It made her fume. Every comment passed between the duo as they fought drove a deep bubbling burning ache into her gut that was threatening to erupt at any moment. She hated the Blood Mage. She hated her for being as close to Guui as she was. She hated her for beating her and being so damn powerful…. And she hated her for making her feel the things that she was feeling at the moment.

Vuui and Guui continued to circle each other, landing blows and bickering playfully with each other for nearing on two hours now. The fight was going nowhere, as had most of their fights from back in the day when they had been in the Hunters together. Whenever they had fought, and that had been often, most of the time it had ended in a draw. There fights ending with one or both of them passing out from exhaustion or from the smell of food being brought to them from one of their crew brave enough to actually get in the middle of them while they were brawling. They were rivals, even after all this time, the fire between them had never died. It both exhilarated and frightened Vuui.

She wasn't supposed to be rekindling her friendships with the Hunters, she had a mission to take care of, a potential apocalypse to end. But she couldn't help but fall back into the old rhythm of Guui, fighting and playfully arguing with him. There wasn't another person in all of Erinn that she could interact with the same way that she could with him and in all this time she had never realized how much his influence had shaped her into the person that she had become and how happy he made her. Just as how the others were sure to make her feel as well.

An ache filled her heart and she failed to react as quickly as she should have when Guui swung at her with both fists clenched together and was sent hurtling deep into the ground beneath his feet and stomped on for good measure. Now wasn't a time to get lost in her thoughts, but it was hard not to when she knew that she was using her old friend. That she was in a sense betraying each and every single one of them all over again with what she was doing. If they ever found out, which she was sure they would at least at the end of it all, then….

Breaking herself from her wandering thoughts Vuui grabbed Guui's foot that was still stomped against her chest and pushed, toppling him over. She didn't want to end the fight so soon, she could easily go for a few more hours, and she knew that he could as well. But with her thoughts wondering as they where it would be best for her to end things now than risk losing later on and not getting him on her team.

 _Sorry, I have to do this Twin Fists_ , keeping hold of his foot Vuui moved quickly and launched herself on top of him, twisting with all her strength and breaking his ankle and making him roar out in a pained screech. She then bent his leg further and pinned him down in a tangle of limbs, stretching his leg to the point of breaking until he began to tap the ground with his hands relentlessly screaming "YOU WIN! YOU WIN! LET GO! LET GO!" and released him with a giant thud and huge release of breath.

One Hunter down…...


End file.
